1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to amphiphilic dendritic dipeptides that are self-assembled from a dipeptide(s) and a dendron, and to their applications.
2. Description of the Background
Natural pore forming proteins act as viral helical coats and transmembrane channels, exhibit antibacterial activity and are used in synthetic systems, such as for reversible encapsulation or stochastic sensing. These diverse functions are intimately linked to protein structure. The close link between protein structure and protein function makes the design of synthetic mimics a formidable challenge, given that structure formation needs to be carefully controlled on all hierarchy levels, in solution and in the bulk. In fact, most synthetic pore structures are not simultaneously capable of forming periodically ordered assemblies that are stable in solution and in the solid state. In fact, up to the present time only closed dendrimer columns have been produced by covalent and non-covalent coating and assembly of a range of different structures.
Accordingly, there is a need for a simple and effective method of forming porous structures that form periodically ordered assemblies that are stable in solution and in the solid state, which structures have anti-microbial activity. Such structures have multiple useful applications.